Things coming up in the near future.....

Next week I will be writing about the American Correctional System.  I will be taking an in-depth look at prisons inside our country.  I am currently gathering research to give you a REAL look at what being ‘in a correctional facility, jail or prison, is like’.  If you are interested, I will be posting links on my new Facebook page.  Here is the link for those of you that may want to follow….

https://www.facebook.com/jennie.lorenzo1?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/530038593722820/530044680388878/?notif_t=like

Also, I reached out to the Trayvon Martin attorney, Benjamin Crump who has agreed to give me any info about the family and the case that he possibly can.  I am waiting to hear from Zimmerman’s lawyers.  For those of you that still want to hear more about Jodi, I think that I may even be able to interview one of the jurors from the trail.  I am very excited.  Please check this page as often as time allows and PLEASE share either the FB page or this blog.  As always, I will post links to FB with any new info. 
As always, thanks for reading!!!!

 

Caryn Kelley : NOT GUILTY

Last night the three men and three women that made up the jury in the Caryn Kelley manslaughter trial found the 48 year old realtor not guilty in just over an hour and a half. Ms. Kelley has recently been compared to Jodi Arias. While its easy to see why....both beautiful women who killed their lovers, I struggle to see any other similarities in these women.  Let's take a look at the details of the night Phillip Peatross was killed.

Without going into details about Ms. Kelley's trial, lets just look at the differences between her behavior and Jodi's. Jodi shot Travis Alexander, stabbed him twenty seven times and slit his throat. Jodi wanted to make sure that Travis was never leaving that room again. Caryn shot Phillip, then she immediately called 911. She was clearly upset on the 911 recording.  While she did give multiple explanations, they were all part of the same story. Jodi Arias told police completely different accounts of the night Travis Alexander was stabbed, shot and nearly decapitated. She first claimed she had no idea what had happened because she hadn't seen Travis in over two months. Only when confronted with physical evidence of her being in Travis's home did she change her story. Seeing that she could no longer dispute that she was there, she then tells her 'ninja' story. We all heard her ever changing story during her trial.  

Caryn was distraught over Phillips death. You can hear her on the 911 call, see her on the police recording and even in court she was told repeatedly to keep her emotions under control or she would be removed. Jodi never shed a tear over Travis. Jodi is never less then fully composed. She shows absolutely no remorse or sadness. She also chose to put the victim on trial with her allegations of abuse and pedophelia. 

Jodi Arias is a soulless psychopath. Caryn Kelley was highly intoxicated when she and Phillip started struggling over the gun.  While its a very sad situation, continuing to compare these women is simply rediculous, in my opinion. While I in no way condone the behavior of Caryn Kelley, she was not breaking the law. It is completely legal in America to get wasted in your own home. It's also legal to own a gun and to use it for protection in your home. In this case there was far too much reasonable doubt. No expert could tell us who shot the gun.  Caryn had a bruise on her inner arm that is evidence of a struggle over the weapon. 

This also tells a story about gun safety. While it is illegal to drive under the influence, there is no law that prohibits people from wielding a weapon while under the influence.  If Caryn Kelley had been charged with criminal negligence, there would have been a far greater chance of her being charged with something. To charge her with murder was completely over charging her.  Prosecutors agreed, as they lowered the charge to manslaughter.  While I completely understand that some are outraged that she just 'got away with it', I beg to differ. Caryn has spent the last two years in a hell of her own making. I can only hope that she took that time to get help for her problems with drugs and alcohol. This woman was facing thirty years, the rest of her life, behind bars. This has no doubt been a nightmare to her and her family. It was proven that she didn't intend to shoot Phillip. Maybe if we had a law against handling a weapon while under the influence, there would be grounds to put her in jail any longer. The only thing deadlier then a loaded gun is a loaded gun and alcohol.  Jodi Arias planned to kill Travis and she did. Coldhearted and evil, she belongs in prison. There's no doubt about that. However, placing Caryn Kelley in a jail cell beside Jodi Arias seems completely illogical.....

Stand Your Ground?

The 'stand your ground law' is a controversial law in which removes a persons duty to retreat before using deadly force against another in any place that he has the legal right to be---so long as he reasonably believes he or someone else faces imminent death or great bodily harm.  In other words, if you are on your property and someone threatens you or anything/anyone, you may use deadly force to protect yourself and your property without facing prosicution. The stand your ground law was first passed in Florida in 2005 and was backed by the NRA (National Rifle Association).  It is also known as "castle doctrine" which comes from the saying "one's home is one's castle".  Some states also have the 'no duty to retreat law', which carries the stand your ground law out to the street.  Among those are FL, OR, WA and NH.
The first time that I heard of the stand your ground law was after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old FL boy who was shot and killed by a member of  the neighborhood watch in his fathers gated Stanford FL community.  George Zimmerman called police to report a 'suspicious' man walking through the neighborhood.  Police told Zimmerman to wait for an officer and to not proceed in following the man.  Zimmerman, however, decided to follow anyway.  By the time police arrived, Trayvon was shot and killed.  The events of what took place are still unclear but jury selection of Zimmermans trial begins in June.  Zimmerman is pleading not guilty due to the stand your ground law.  What happened between them will come out during Zimmerman's trial this summer.  Since the shooting, Zimmerman has been in hiding due to the amount of threats that were made against his life.   It is thought by many that this was a hate crime. Trayvon being a young black male and Zimmerman a Hispanic/white man.  At first no charges were pressed against Zimmerman.  However, after the uproar in the community, as well as around the country, prosecutors decided to charge Zimmerman with second degree murder.  I'll discuss this case later, as more details emerge.
I decided to look up some stand your ground cases and was shocked at what I found.  Below are five cases in which the defendant was acquitted of any charges against him using the stand your ground law as a defense. 

~October 2012~
Florida vs Bryant
A women was attacked by her boyfriend, who had a history of violence.   Police had been called seven times that year, reporting domestic violence.  The man chased her around their apartment, finally catching her and attempting to pin her down.  Bryant grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed him multiple times in the chest. 
In my opinion, this is one of the very few instances where the stand your ground law worked properly.
~November 2007~
Texas vs Horn
A man shot and killed two men that he suspected of burglarizing a neighbors home.  Like Zimmerman, Horn called police and was told to back down.  Horn reminded the 911 operator that as of September of that same year, the stand your ground law was put into effect, therefore making it legal for Horn to shoot and kill the men.  Horn was acquitted of any wrong doing.
~January 2012~
Louisiana vs Thomas
A grand jury cleared Thomas after he fired into an SUV, killing a 15 year old boy.  The boy was with six other teens when they drove up to Thomas' vehicle.  Thomas opened fire at the SUV, shooting two of the boys, killing one and injuring the other.  The boys were suspected gang members and Thomas claimed that the boy had threatened him, making him fear for his life. 
~April 2012~
Arizona vs Jude
A mentally disabled pedestrian walked in front of a vehicle at a Taco Bell drive-thru.  The man swung what appeared to be a metal pipe.  Jude shot and killed him.  He was actually holding a dog leash. 
~January 2012~
Florida vs Garcia
A judge tossed out a second degree murder charge against Garcia after he chased down a suspected burglar for more then a block and stabbing him to death.  Garcia claimed that the suspect had swung a bag of stolen car radios at him.  The judge said that Garcia "was well within his rights to pursue the victim and demand the return of his property.

While I understand the right to protect yourself and your family in your home, I am having a hard time understanding how it is legal to chase someone down for an entire block and stab them to death.  Do we give a thief the death penalty?  Would any jury in our country sentence someone to death for petty theft?  The answer is absolutely NO.  So, what would give someone the right to chase down an unarmed person and kill them?  Why are some states allowed to let regular citizens kill someone that they suspect of commiting a crime?  What happened to the the constitution?  It does not make sense to allow one person to be the judge and jury of another person.  A majority of these cases, in my opinion, should have been prosecuted.  Our country prosecutes people on far lesser charges on a daily basis. 
This is not about gun control.  This is about protecting our constitutional rights as well as the safety of our children.  We have, obviously, not heard many details of the Zimmerman case.  All we know is that a 17 year old boy, armed with candy and a cell phone, was killed for walking through his dads neighborhood at the wrong time.  While I realize that evidence may come out that shows that Trayvon confronted Zimmerman, I am still at odds.  Zimmerman was told by police to stop following the boy, more then once.  Zimmerman decided to continue to pursue Trayvon under the assumption that he was up to no good.  But who gives a stranger the right to follow our children around and make themselves the judge and jury of a suspected situation?   I can guarantee that, had Zimmerman and Trayvon never met on that fateful night last February, Trayvon Martin would still be alive today.
Again, I am aware that I do not know all of the evidence in this case.  However, the simple fact is that a 28 year old man followed a 17 year old boy, against the order of police.  This resulted in the death of a child. 
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on June 10, 2013.  More info on this case to follow. 
Thank you for reading <3

Justice?

Now that I've had a chance to take it in and not be overwhelmed by my emotions, lets think about the jurors in Jodi Arias's trial.

These people have been living in Jodi Arias's world for nearly six months. It's very clear that this jury was in no way influenced by its sensationalism and round the clock coverage. Tonight we found out that the split between jurors was eight to four. Eight in favor of death. It's odd, considering that, if you remember, the jury consisted of eight men and four women. That defiantly does not mean that all eight men were leaning towards death and vise versa but just another odd coincidence of the Jodi Arias Saga. 

It amazes me that the interviews, or at least the news of the media blitz, did not get back to the jury. It's hard to imagine that anyone that believes in the death penalty could hear the things she said in those interviews and believe anything this woman says. She is cold, calculating and evil. I would not be surprised, in any way, if we were to find out that Jodi went on her media tour to taint the jury pool. The thought of the Alexander family sitting in that courtroom again, listening to the hardest part of the trial, only much longer this time, simply breaks my heart. I think the world just wants to see these innocent people who have suffered so much, finally feel a sense of justice. We know that nothing can ever replace Travis, but I know, from experience, that seeing justice served brings some kind of peace to the families of the victims. I also know, from experience, that Jodi will NOT STOP tormenting this family. She will not stop dragging Travis's name through the mud. If for some reason the media ban is lifted at any point from here on out, I strongly believe that the media should completely ignore her. I mean really, all we're gonna get is the same old lies!!!!  I believe no one should give her the satisfaction of granting her another interview. And none of us should watch any more of Jodi's interviews.  She will NEVER be sincere and while I know that we all wish that Jodi would break down and beg for forgiveness, it will NEVER happen.  Lets stop giving her what she want!!!!  What she BELIEVES she deserves!!!!

I hope that the Alexander family can find some comfort in knowing that Jodi will spend twenty three hours a day in a 7'x11' cell. 

Looks cozy..... I pray that her days are long and filled with memories of the life she once had...

She will be able to leave her 'personal space' for one hour a day, in which she can use to shower, get some 'excersize' or make phone calls to tweet. She will have two striped 'outfits', two pairs of netting like underpants, similar to those given in hospitals after surgery. She gets one pair of socks and one pair of rubber shower shoes. Her shower time will be perfect for her. She'll be the center of attention. Hopefully she finds some crazy women the size of Donavan with a personality like hers to keep her warm on during those cold prison showers......

When she does leave her cell, she will be guarded at all times with handcuffs and chains around her belly and her ankles. Jodi's jail cell will be the only cell that Jodi will ever come close to owning...she will never use an iPhone, see what her twitter page looks like, use the Internet, or even have a life of any kind.  She will remain in her cell until the next jury sentences her to DEATH or Life Without the Possibility of Parole.  Where she will live in the same facility she would live if she were on Death Row. Karma will get Jodi Arias.  The next jury will get it right.

She will eat her meals in her room, a la toilette. Lets take a look at the lovely menu Jodi will likely get to enjoy. 

                Breakfast 

                Lunch

                   Dinner

I wonder if she will still share her commissary items with her 'jail buds', the "indigent" girls that Jodi has become the queen of. Oh wait...I almost forgot, Jodi will no longer be in jail, she'll now be in prison so these girls will be hard core, like Jodi!!!  And since she can't come out of her cell to sign autographs maybe she'll just sign the ho-ho"s she slides to the cell next to or across from her...."Sincere Survivor Hodi".   

The only jewelry that Jodi will ever wear again will be these lovely matching bracelets....

But seriously, I know many of us wanted to hear that she had scored a one way ticket to death row. Jodi being locked in a cell for twenty three hours a day will be worse then death to Jodi. The media ban will stay in effect. Jodi will be in pure hell all by herself all the time. 

This IS our justice system at work. And while I refuse to stop demanding Justice For Travis until the Alexander family is at peace, lets at least take comfort in the fact that this women will not even be good enough for general population.  She will have complete and total solitude.

Please remember to click on the link below and donate $1. If everyone could donate just $1, we could maybe help to ease some of the stress from the Alexander family. 

http://travisalexander.org/

The Alexander family needs our help and prayers more then ever. 

Thank you. 

 

The day the Earth Stood Still

May 23, 2013. A day I will never forget. The Jodi Arias jury just returned a verdict on the penalty phase. No unanimous agreement. My heart aches for the Alexander family. After nearly five months of sitting in a courtroom, away from home. Away from their families as Travis's murderer sat and attempted to destroy his reputation. Calling him a pedophile who beat her. Then, as though its just not enough for her to simply lie, she decides to go on television any chance she gets and torment these victims even further!!!!  

Let me make it clear that I, in no way, blame the jury. I would have a hard time putting someone to death too. The thing is that the jury hasn't seen what we have all seen. The interview that she did after her conviction where she trashed Travis Alexander repeatedly!!!  We saw her basically dare the jury to give her death. 

The jury, doing their duties, obviously have not watched the news. Where she actually claimed that she felt betrayed by them!!!  

She gave a press conference just a few nights ago!!!  Right after she said that, given life, Travis's family wouldn't have to see his MURDERERS face again. 

I'm just....speechless. 

Please, pray for this family. If you can, please donate to the Alexander faintly who will now have to spend, who knows how long, more time away from their jobs, their families, their homes...even if its only $1, please click on the link below. Lets do what we can to help this poor family. I can't imagine having to deal with the pain of a graphic murder trial and also worry about money. Please, every dollar counts. Lets help them. They have shown such grace and class...

http://travisalexander.org/

Everyone in that courtroom sobbed. The jurors, the reporters, the Alexander family sobbed openly. Men started down the jury. Juan Martinez broke my heart. I've never seem him look the way he did today. Even Judge Stevens fought back tears. Jodi appeared to shed some tears, it seemed. Again, you can't believe anything from Jodi Arias. Her family was not present.  Perhaps they feared the worst or maybe that's why Jodi cried. She had no one to 'celebrate' with. 

Again, my heart breaks for each and every one of Travis's siblings. They don't deserve this. No one deserves this. 

The jury was to make a statement but appeared to change their minds at the last minute. I'm sure the jury is very emotional as well. I feel for them. Now they have to see what this psychopath has done while they put their lives on hold and were torn at what to do. She asked for lights, camera and makeup. 

This is not over. Jodi will get what she deserves. All evil people do. Again, my heart breaks. I can't imagine..... 

Please pray. The power of prayer is REAL. Pray for peace for this poor family. We can all feel their pain, so just imagine the pain they must feel. 

This man, only 30 years old when brutally murdered. Stabbed him 27 times, nearly decapitated him!!!!  And then a final 'fuck you' shot to the head. 

Jodi Arias, the Death Penalty was Created for People Like YOU

Inside Jodi Arias's Mind

If you are anything like me, you've probably sat and wondered what the hell was going through Jodi Arias's head as she sat in court day after day sparring with the prosecutor, Juan Martinez, knowing that his goal was to put her to death. As she stared directly at the jury, who would ultimately determine her fate, she told lie after lie. Contradicting herself unwittingly day after day....in her mind, she was absolutely telling the truth, or at least her version of the truth. Maybe you watched her interrogation videos and thought to yourself 'something has got to be wrong with her'. Or perhaps you just thought she was simply a cold blooded, calculating murder. But let's look at history....no criminal in our history has ever given such a highly publicized interview just moments after such a serious conviction as capital murder.  Especially being that she had an unsequestered jury that still had to decide her punishment.  The only way to stop Jodi Arias from further speaking out and continuing to drag her victim, Travis Alexander, through the mud was to put a public ban on all media interviews. Jodi was clearly her own worst enemy. 

During the guilt phase of the trial we heard one psychologist after another sit on the stand and give us their diagnosis of what was wrong with Jodi. We heard about her PTSD. (Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened). Jodi claimed she had symptoms of PTSD due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of Travis. We all know that Travis had not abused her. And furthermore, the results of the PTSD were determined based on a lie. When Dr Samulels examined Jodi and administered the PDS (a diagnostic test used to determine PTSD) he was basing the test results on the lie Jodi had told Dr Flores.  At first Jodi claimed to know nothing of Travis's murder. Only after being confronted with physical evidence proving that she had been at Travis' home on June 4, 2006, she then claimed that two intruders had attacked her and Travis, killing him and letting her live only after the gun jammed and the perpetrator threatened to kill her family if she revealed what had happened.  As Janeen DeMarte (expert forensic psychologist for the state) stated on the stand "if you base the test results on a lie, it renders the test invalid". If Jodi suffered from PTSD, it's clear that this came on as a result of her killing Travis (and that's a big if). Alyce LaViolette also claimed that Jodi suffered from PTSD which resulted from Battered Women's Syndrome. Being that there was no evidence of Travis ever laying a hand on Jodi, we can conclude that she was not a battered woman. While many battered women never expose their abusers publicly, the signs are always there. We all saw Jodi's journals. Page after page of her talking about how great Travis was and how much she loved him. Jodi even moved from Yrica, CA to Mesa, AZ to be closer to Travis. And after she moved back to Yrica, she decided to take a road trip of over 1000 miles, back to visit Travis. A typical battered women would never willingly return to her abuser.  In fact, a battered woman will go to great lengths to hide once she has fled from her abuser. And most battered women stay with their abusers because they have no other way out. Many times having children with their abusers and having nowhere else to go. The clearest evidence against her battered woman story was Jodi's behavior. It quickly became very clear that the aggressor in Travis and Jodi's highly dysfunctional relationship was Jodi herself. We all heard about her slashing Travis's tires, sending him and the women he dated threatening emails, sneaking in doggy doors and hiding behind Christmas trees. Jodi was clearly obsessed with Travis. Think fatal attraction...

Dr Janeen DeMarte diagnosed Jodi with Borderline Personality Disorder. (Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems). This was a far more accurate diagnosis then PTSD. Jodi was clearly unstable. However, a person with BPD would have shown a great deal of emotion when she saw herself in the situation that Jodi ultimately ended up In. If someone has issues with emotional instability, you would think that being convicted of such a thing as first degree murder would send them over the edge. Especially with their claim of self defense and innocence. Instead we saw her sit and give an interview 20 minutes after the verdict was read. Below is a link to Jodi's post verdict interview with Troy Hayden of Fox News in AZ. 

http://youtu.be/28EpBe6XRpg

Jodi is a little emotional in the beginning of the interview. She starts to claim that the 'fog' is starting to return but quickly changes her mind. 

Let's dig a little deeper and see what some symptoms of BPD are. A person with BPD has a great deal of difficulty controlling anger and rage. Jodi seems to be quite the opposite of that.  She somehow always seems to stay composed, the only signs of anger being her snarky responses and evil looks. Other then that, the general public has never witnessed Jodi having an extreme episode of anger. People with BPD also tend to become addicts to drugs, alcohol or sex. We saw that Jodi was addicted to Travis so that's one check in the BPD category for Jodi. Another characteristic of people with BPD is they often tend to see things as good or bad, with no in-between. To me, Jodi seems to always see the bright side in every situation. This could possibly be a result of her belief in the 'law of attraction'. When her artwork was banned from eBay, Jodi tweeted that "the silver lining to this was that her artwork would be harder to get, therefore increasing its value". Even when facing the death penalty, Jodi seems unswayed. Nothing seems to get to her. This drives me crazy about her. We would expect any normal person faced with such extreme circumstances to be extremely worried or upset. While Jodi seems shaky in the first few minutes of her interview, she regains her composure extremely quickly. Another symptom of BPD is that people who suffer from the disorder often have impaired memory under extreme amounts of stress. We all saw Jodi lie. While she claimed to have a significant amount of memory loss, the general consensus is that her gap in memory is just too coincidental, not remembering stabbing Travis 27 times or slicing his throat from ear to ear nearly decapitating him. This is not consistent with either PTSD or BPD. Instead, this seems to be due to her pathological lying. She seems to have an amazing ability at remembering her lies....until they are taken out of order and dissected as we saw Juan Martinez do. We know from what she did to Travis that she has the ability to go into extreme emotional outbursts and rage and that she did not handle feeling 'abandoned' by him very well. Two more checks in the BPD category.  And finally, BPD tends to make sufferers expect negative attitudes from other. Jodi thinks she can charm her way through any situation, so clearly that doesn't describe her. 

Maybe she has some of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder but she clearly has other issues as well.  Let's remember that I'm not a Dr or a psychological and am writing this strictly for entertainment purposes. I have never met Jodi and hope I never have the pleasure of meeting anyone like her. That being said, she's given us all a glimpse into her personality. One thing no one can argue is that she is a complete narcissist.  (

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder  in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity) ...this is clearly evident in her behavior as well as her words. If you listen to Jodi's allocation 'presentation' closely, you hear the word "I" being used a whopping 180 times!!!!  Don't believe it?  Here's a link so you can see for yourself...

http://youtu.be/IBIZ2lFQNC0

Her narcissistic personality is also clearly evident in her demands for makeup before interviews her demand to not be shown in her prison clothes and shackles. She believes that she is right and anyone that disagrees with her is wrong. In her interrogation videos you can see her trying to manipulate the detective. Jodi seems to have always been able to manipulate men with a flip of her hair and a tilt to the head. She was not used to people battling with her and most definitely not used to male rejection. She even tried to use the excuse that she had 'no experience with police interrogation'. REALLY JODI?!?  Most of the population doesn't!!!   

Next lets look up the definition of a psychopath. (

Psychopathy is a personality or mental disorder characterize partly by antisocial behavior, diminished capacity for remorse, and poor behavioral controls). Now that's Jodi Arias!!!  

Jodi seems to be a combination of a narssasist and a psychopath. She believes the world revolves around her.  There are videos captured of she and Travis apparently at a party (social gathering) in which they both were sitting on a couch. Travis is telling a story and she just lays possessively across his lap. At one point, she seems to become bored and sits up, removing his arm from around her. That is antisocial. We all know she is incapable of showing remorse and her behavior is extremely out of the ordinary. So, there you have it. 

Wait a minute though...in a text message that Travis sent to Jodi a week before she murdered him, he calls her a sociopath. Just out of curiosity, lets look up sociopath. (Sociopath a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience). Pretty close to the definition for psychopath. So it would seem, sadly, that although Travis realized that he wasn't dealing with a normal person, he underestimated the danger that comes along with these untreated mental disorders. I would highly suggest that if you happen to meet someone that even seems to have the personality traits of a psychopath/sociopath, RUN in the other direction. These people often tend to be very charming and it's often easy to get caught up in their webs. 

As always, thanks for reading!!  

***Definitions were obtained online and anything with "" is quoted. 

The Jodi Show

As always, court was delayed the day that Jodi Arias was due to deliver her allocution. No one knew what to expect from the women who, just moments after being convicted of first degree murder, gave an interview to a local Fox affiliate in AZ saying that she would prefer death over life in prison. In her mind, death was the ultimate freedom. And of course, Jodi wanted her freedom as soon as she could get it. Would she stand before the jury and ask for mercy?  Or would she stay true to her word and ask for death?  The Internet was buzzing with anticipation. From inside the courtroom, reporters tweeted and analyzed every move of the main players in this bizarre case.  The podium that had been set up for the Alexander family had now been set up for Jodi Arias. At the last minute, the podium was removed. Jodi was in the courtroom one minute and out of the courtroom the next. Finally, at about 10:45am MST, Jodi Arias, dressed in all black, holding a yellow manilla envelope, approached the jurors that had already convicted her of first degree murder, and began to address the jury. She did not use a microphone and stood unusually close to the jury box. As she began her allocution people held their breaths to see what she would say. Jodi Arias had proven to be completely unpredictable.

She began by speaking of her mother...."Several months back, while the first phase of this trial was ongoing, my mom visited me, like she had every week since the trial began". She went on to tell about how her mother, stopped one day at a stop light, had turned and seen the Alexander family in the car beside her. She said that they were both silent for a moment until her mother voiced what they both  had been thinking. "I know they are going through hell".  She said that until the victim impact statements, their pain had not been driven home. She claimed that she knew she was responsible for the families pain. She spoke of how she had wondered where Travis's grandmother had been, not knowing that she had passed but acknowledging that she was likely inadvertently responsible for her death as well as Travis'. She spoke of how Travis had told her on Thanksgiving of 2007 that his grandmother was "the glue that held the family together". She went on to talk about her thoughts and attempts of suicide saying that the one thing that always caused her to waiver was "sitting right over there", as she gestured towards her family. She claimed that she did not know that, if convicted to life, she could work and become self reliant. She cited the good things that she could accomplish while serving life in prison and the programs that she could start and continue to participate in. She then started a powerpoint presentation. Fully composed, she told the jury about how she had donated her hair to 'Locks of Love' before the trial began. It was the third time since her arrest that she had done so and if given the chance she would continue to do so for the rest of her life. She spoke of programs that she could start in prison, including a book club and teaching other inmates how to read, speak Spanish and even teach them American Sign Language. She spoke of starting a recycling program within the prison. She went on to show a slideshow of photos beginning with herself as a small child. She spoke of her family. Her closeness with her younger brother, Carl. Family trips to Seaworld and Hawaii. How, at age eleven she watched her baby sister, Angela, come into the world four weeks early. She showed pictures of her and Patti Womack, telling the jury that as a result of the announcement that Patti would be speaking on Jodi's behalf, she and her nine year old daughter had been threatened.  Patti ultimately decided against speaking at the mitigation phase.. She showed picture after picture of herself with her previous boyfriends, Daryl Brewer and his young son Jack, citing that she had last seen him on June 3, 2008 (the day before Travis's brutal murder). Photos of her and Bobbi Juarez, Matt McCartney and other friends flashed on the screen. She showed family portraits at holidays and vacations. She spoke of the nieces that she had only met through a thick pane of glass, about the weddings and holidays she had missed. In one photo, taken at Christmas, 2010, her family had held a photo of her in their family portrait. This, she said, was the only way she would ever spend the holidays with her family again. She spoke of how her nieces were the closest she would ever come to motherhood because "of her own terrible choices". She showed copies of her artwork. Again, she spoke of how she had so desperately wanted to avoid trial and go "quietly into the night". She again claimed that she had intended to protect Travis's reputation and that it was never her intention to drag Travis's name through the mud. She stated that she had been forced, on the stand, to tell the truth. She reminded the jury that while she told of Travis's abuse, she was always quick to defend him in the same breath and that she loved Travis and looked up to him. At one point he had been her whole world.  She said that this was the worst thing that she had done, could ever imagine herself doing and that before that day she had never harmed even a spider. She claimed that she was horrified at what she had done. She spoke of her families suffering and how she could not stand there, in good faith, and ask to be put to death. She asked for mercy, not for herself, but for her family whose pain was still so fresh after hearing the guilty verdict only weeks before.

The moment that stunned court watchers everywhere was when Jodi held up one of her 'Survivor' tee shirts. She said that she realizes that there were people that did not believe that she was an actual victim of domestic violence and that they were entitled to their opinions but that it was a cause that was close to her heart. For many people, this was her final knife in the back of the Alexander family. How could she continue telling her tale of abuse that had already been rejected by the jury?  She spoke for approximately nineteen minutes. Many people believed that any progress that she may have made had been shred apart when she displayed her 'Survivor' shirt. The irony of a convicted first degree murderer, who so savagely killed a man that she claimed to love and left him to decompose in his shower, pushing a tee shirt that she designed that read 'survivor' seemed to be too much for many to accept. One of her final  statements to the jury was that Steven Alexander had stated that he never wanted to see his brothers killer again and that with life in prison, he would never have to. The one thing that Jodi did not say during her allocution was "I'm sorry",  

Jodi Arias delivering her allocution of her death penalty murder trial. 

Jodi's plea was followed by closing arguments in which Jennifer Willmott listed the mitigating factors. She stated that Jodi was only 27 years old at the time of the murder, that she had no prior criminal record and had been an ideal inmate at the jail in the five years that she had been incarcerated. She cited Jodi's talent as an artist for being a reason to spare her life. In contradiction to Jodi's statements, Jenny told of the abuse that Jodi had suffered at the hands of her parents. She reminded the jury that if they decided to issue the death penalty, they would be taking her life. She asked if they could live with the decision to take another persons life. She argued that Jodi's life was worth sparing and could still be of some value behind bars. She claimed that Jodi wanted to better her life and help others and that Jodi had once been a 'good friend' to many people. 

Juan Martinez reminded the jury of the brutality of the murder.  He cleared up the issue with Patricia Womack, stating that he had interviewed her and she had pleaded the fifth amendment in an effort to not incriminate herself about alleged drug use and the sale of photos that were sold to the media in which were not reported to the IRS.  He pointed out that Jodi was 27 years old at the time of the murder. That soldiers were sent off to war at just 18 years old. Jodi was nine years older than a legal adult. He pointed out that while Jodi would continue to age, Travis would forever be 30 years old. She had lived a full life, with multiple sexual partners and life experience. He asked what being an artist had to do with anything?  He pointed out that while Jodi's family got to visit her in prison, Travis's family had to visit him at his grave. 

Jennifer Willmott had the last word in the penalty phase since the burden was now on the defense to try and save Jodi's life. She walked over to Jodi, rested her hands on her shoulders and asked the jury if they were going to kill her or let her spend the rest of her life behind bars. 

The decision of life or death was now with the same jury that had convicted her of capital murder and decided that it had been proven that she had acted in an especially cruel and depraved manner. 

In a final shocking twist to the ongoing saga, Judge Stevens lifted the ban on media interviews given by Jodi. That night Jodi requested makeup. She made a list of the media outlets that she would allow to interview her and began her surprise media blitz. Below are links to the various interviews Jodi did on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 while her destiny hung in the hands of the jury. 

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/jodi-arias-feels-betrayed-jury-115902659.html

http://m.today.com/news/jodi-arias-death-penalty-would-be-revenge-not-justice-6C10018471

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22380878/2013/05/22/jodi-arias-speaks-out-to-choice-media-before-sentencing

https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1659202266001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAABvZFMzE~,IXjx0MpOF0p74gQ0oxWK0L1cZBcoHPoi&bctid=2400243284001&secureConnections=true&autoStart=false&height=100%25&width=100%25

http://www.abc15.com//dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/jodi-arias-interview-arias-speaks-out-to-abc15-as-jury-deliberates-on-death-penalty

It seemed that now that her attorneys were no longer on the case, Jodi was free to do as she pleased. If she thought that the media was going to coddle her, she was in for a big surprise. As always, however, Jodi seemed void of emotion. As each interviewer asked her why she had not apologized to the Alexander family, Jodi claimed that she had apologized, yet when asked if she wanted to apologize on air, she struggled to say the words "I'm sorry", claiming that the words seemed inadequate to the remorse she felt. 

It seemed a slap in the face that just hours before she had stood in front of the jury and said that if given life, the Alexander family would never had to see her again. She smirked and stood her ground as one after one, reporters asked her tough questions followed by reminders of the hate that the general public felt towards her. Jodi was once again running the show, prepping for the camera and letting reporters know that they were not to show her jail pants or chains that she wore around her ankles. However, one media outlet released this photo, which spread like wildfire over social media. 

The level of arrogance she displayed was appalling. It seemed as though this was all a game to Jodi. The world was her stage and she was loving the attention. The general public had never hated her more. All the while, the jury deliberated. 

On Wednesday, May 23 at approximately 11:45 am MST the jury announced that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision after deliberating for less than three hours. Judge Stevens instructed them to continue deliberations and try to reach a unanimous decision. 

That afternoon, Jodi began using Twitter again. It is not clear who managed her Twitter account at this point.

It became apparent that the Jodi Show was far from over.....

Jodi's smugness and arrogance is beginning to affect people everywhere.  Please comment on your thoughts as to whether you think a convicted criminal should be able to give media interviews in which she continues to trash her victim.  

***Update....On Wed. evening, Judge Sherry Stevens again put a ban on media interaction with Jodi Ann Arias

The Penalty Phase

Think about being a juror in a capital murder trial. Listening to the gruesome details of a cruel murder. Would you be able to issue the sentence of death knowing that your signature could result in the end of a human life?  This is what the jury in the Arias trial were now to determine.

The penalty phase of the trial became a circus in and of itself.  Brief opening statements were given by council and on Thursday, May 16, 2013, the Alexander family had their chance to speak to the jury. Steven Alexander, Travis's kid brother, was first to speak. He spoke of how he always thought of his brother as being 'bulletproof'. He recounted the day he had been told about Travis's death, how his sister,Samantha, had called and told his wife, who tearfully pleaded with her that she could not be the one to tell him. He spoke of the nightmares he had since Travis's death and the emotional strain that it had caused, even resulting in a separation from his wife. He spoke of the time during the trial in which he had to be away from his daughter. He said he never wanted to see the face of his brothers killer again.

Next up was Samantha Alexander. Travis's little sister who is a police officer in CA.  Sam brought people to tears with her emotional stories about her beloved brother.  She too spoke of the day she heard about her brothers death. She said that she heard the same emotion in her grandmothers voice that she had heard when she had called to tell her about the death of their mother. She spoke of their childhood and the grandmother that had raised them. A photo displayed showed Travis and his beloved grandmother.  She tearfully told of how their grandmothers health had quickly spiraled due to Travis's brutal murder. The woman who had raised them had passed away just before jury selection began for the trial, late last year.  She called Travis the strength of the family, it's 'beacon of hope' and the glue that held the family together.  Photos of Travis with family members flashed on the screens in the courtroom.  Through tears she spoke of how much she missed Travis's contagious smile, as a photo of Travis smiling brightly showed on the screen. Samantha said that in all of her years as a police officer, she had never seen such a gruesome murder. The photos of Travis in death were forever burned into the minds of the Alexander family.

After the victim impact statements, Arias's attorneys were to put on mitigation witnesses who would plead with the jury for mercy in spearing her life.  They said that they were calling Patricia Womack, Jodi's childhood best friend and Daryl Brewer, the man Jodi dated for four years prior to meeting Travis as their mitigation witnesses. There was yet another delay and court was cancelled until Monday, May 20, 2013. 

Speculation about whether Jodi's mom, Sandra, would testify on her behalf. Although Jodi and her attorneys claimed that Jodi had suffered from an abusive and neglected childhood, her mother has sat in the courtroom each and every day and visited her on a nightly basis at the jail. It didn't seem to make sense that she would not take the stand and plead for her daughters life. 

Now, the Jodi Arias trial had been full of twists and turns up to this point, but no one was prepared for what happened on Monday when court resumed. After yet another delay of about an hour and a half that left people all over speculating what was going on.  Finally, beginning in usual late fashion, Kirk Numi filed a motion for a mistrial in open court in which he stated that it was impossible for Jodi to have a fair trial due to the intense media coverage. He claimed that Patricia Womack would not be testifying due to threats made to her and her 9 year old daughters life. He accused Juan Martinez and the public of intimidating witnesses, citing not only the treats made to Patti but also to Alyce Laviolette and Jennifer Willmott. Juan Martinez claimed that he had tried to interview Patti for her allocation statement and that Patti had pleaded the fifth amendment to two of his questions, thus making it complete speculation as to the real reason of her absence.  The judge denied the motion. Nurmi then asked, in front of the world, that he and Jenny be removed from the case citing inability to provide proper council.  Judge Stevens, at this point, was notably irritated and automatically denied the motion. Kirk, in what seemed like a temper tantrum of defense attorneys, then stated that they would not be calling any mitigation witnesses. The media went crazy!!!!  Did they forget that they were fighting for their clients life?  The defense seemed to have given up, with its only hope being an appeal. Judge Stevens asked if Jodi would be giving an allocation, in which she would plead for her life. The defense asked for yet another delay, leaving the media to grasp for any information they could get. Would Jodi ask for death or would she plead for her life?  Was Jodi's own mother really not going to speak on her daughter's behalf?  What was the defense thinking? They were left wondering for yet another day.

That night Daryl Brewer did his first media interview in which he stated that he had been fully prepared to speak for his once girlfriend. He spoke of the change he saw in Jodi after she joined PPL and started believing in 'magical thinking' (the law of attraction). He spoke of Jodi's relationship with his young son, how she had once been a responsible young woman with her entire life ahead of her. According to him, Jodi became irresponsible after meeting Travis, defaulting on her bills and ultimately losing the home that she and Daryl had once shared. "She went from having $12,000 in the bank to being bankrupt with nothing in a year and a half". 

When it came to the Jodi Arias trial, no one knew what to expect. Again it became a waiting game for the Alexander family along with the rest of the world. 

The Jodi Arias saga would continue.....

Thanks for reading!!!!!

The Aggravation Phase: Unusual Cruelty?

The aggravation phase in the Jodi Arias trial began on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. There was a notable difference surrounding the Maricopa County Courthouse.  While just days before the sidewalk and steps of the courthouse were packed with people waiting to hear the fate of Jodi Arias, there was now a stillness and many felt as though justice had been served. This trial, however, was far from over.

This was perhaps the hardest phase of the trial for the Alexander family. While the guilt phase had lasted four months, the aggravation phase was done in just one day. It began with opening statements in which Juan Martinez went into graphic details about how Travis Alexander had been killed,  He was trying to prove that Travis had been killed in "an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner". The Alexander family had to listen to details of how Travis had suffered a great deal of physical and mental anguish in the hands of Jodi Arias. They heard about the pain he likely felt, about the things that he may have thought about as he tried to get away from Arias while she brutally stabbed him and slit his throat.  Juan, as always, painted a picture in the minds of those listening and it did not look good for Jodi. The defense had an impossible task ahead of them and it seemed that Jodi was working against them. Kurt Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott's only argument was that Travis had died quickly and that the jurors should think with their heads and not their hearts. That emotions should not factor into the ultimate decision of whether or not extreme cruelty was proven.  They argued that the adrenaline had made Travis's heart beat faster, therefore making him 'bleed out' and die faster. They seemed, at this point, defeated. Even Jodi's defense team apparently realized that this was an impossible task. Thier demenors had changed, especially in Jennifer Willmott. There was only one witness, Dr. Horn, the medical examiner. The family sobbed and hung their heads in an attempt to avoid the movie theatre sized screen that showed the gruesome photos of the crime scene and autopsy photos. Some of which had not been seen during the guilt phase of the trial. Juan Martinez's closing argument (where he had two minutes of complete silence to show how long Travis had suffered) was heart wrenching and filled with emotion.  Below is a photo of the Alexander family. 

Jodi seemed to become emotional during the aggravation phase. Hiding behind her veil of dark hair, which she often used to cover her emotions, or lack thereof, from the jury, she sobbed quietly as Juan talked about Travis's intense pain and suffering.  She refused to look at the photos that showed the bloody crime screen and of Travis left dead, naked and bleeding on the shower. 

Although most of the population saw Jodi as a heartless murderer, she did have thousands of followers who started support pages on the web asking for donations. News reports announced that Jodi's commissary account at the jail held over $2000 at one point. It was unclear how the Arias family was financially able to pick up and move from CA to AZ through the duration of the trial. Some reports stated that the Dr. Phil show was funding their stay.  He, however, was quick to issue a statement denying any rumors of such.  The jodiariasisinnocent.com page showed the image below. Any rude or unflattering comments left on the page were promptly removed with the poster being banned from posting again. In addition to this page, quite a few pro Jodi Facebook pages continued to pop up. There were some out there that believed her abuse claims. 

Countless donation sites popped up for the Alexander family and millions were quick to donate. Even this, however, became subject to suspicion when contradicting reports surfaced as to where the money was actually going. The Travis Alexander Legacy Fund was started by Travis's friends and family to support the causes that Travis had been passionate about including education for underprivileged youth, animal rescue and environment programs. It was clear people wanted to continue to donate even after donating to the family directly. The Alexander siblings expressed their gratitude with class and poise.  Below is a link to the Travis Alexander Legacy Page. 

http://travisalexander.org/

Jodi decided that she wanted to "find a way to donate and help victims of domestic violence". She designed a tee shirt with the word 'Survivor' across the front. She claimed that all of the proceeds were to be donated to a women's shelter in Long Beach, CA. The shelter later issued a statement that it had no affiliation with Jodi Arias and that the organization agreed with the justice system and its ultimate decision. This caused an uproar amongst real domestic violence victims. It was obvious that Jodi wasn't going to change her story, which the jury had already rejected. She continued to push the tee shirts, however, for $15 a piece. 

It took the jury only about an hour and a half of deliberating with an hour in between for lunch, to return a verdict. While Arias has seemed emotional, with puffy eyes and a red nose during the course of the proceedings, she seemed to regain her composure in the time the jury deliberated. She watched stoically as the verdict was read. 

Jodi Arias now had to face the reality of what she had done. The jury had found that the state had proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Jodi had not only murdered Travis Alexander, but had done so in an especially cruel and heinous manner. She now faced the possibility of death. 

An investigation was opened regarding Donovan Bering, who had been tweeting for Arias.  Under the rules of Berings probation, she was prohibited from being in contact with a convicted felon.  This seemed to put a halt to Jodi's pubic voicing of her opinion, for the time being. 

The Verdict

There are three phases in a capital murder trial. The first being the guilt phase, the longest phase, in which determines whether the state has proven its case without a reasonable doubt. All twelve jurors must agree unanimously or it will result in a hung jury. If, after deliberating at great lengths, the jury cannot come to a unanimous decision, a hung jury is declared and the defendant gets a new trial.  In this case the jury had three verdicts to choose from. Murder 1: premeditated or felony murder. Murder 2:  intentional killing that is not premeditated or 3: manslaughter caused in a 'heat of passion'. The last charge, manslaughter, was added on in the final hours and directly contradicts her self defense argument.

Closing arguments ended on Friday, May  3, 2013. The twelve people what would end up deciding the fate of Jodi Arias consisted of eight men and four women.  In the court of public opinion, Jodi was absolutely guilty. No woman had been so hated since Casey Anthony was accused of killing her two year old daughter. The media went crazy, interviewing friends of Travis on a nightly bases. Reports about Jodi's living conditions and even what she was being fed became breaking news. It was no secret that Jodi believed that she would not be found guilty of first degree murder and during the days that the country waited to hear the verdict, Jodi continued to tweet. Complaining about not recieving commissary and taking jabs at Nancy Grace. 

The jury deliberations lasted for a grueling 15 hours, announcing that they had reached a verdict on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Emotions were high and nerves were raw. It was approximately two hours between the time the announcement was made that a decision had been reached and and the actual reading of the verdict. The courtroom quickly became packed full of family members and friends of both Travis and Jodi, along with countless media outlets and public spectators. Hundreds gathered on the sidewalk outside of the courthouse and on the courthouse steps holding signs and chanting "Justice for Travis".  People all around the globe watched in anticipation. At 1:30 AZ time (4:30 est) the jury filed into the courtroom.  Everyone held their collective breaths as the verdict form was handed to the judge. After 15 hours, the jury had found Jodi Ann Arias guilty of murder in the first degree, with five of the jurors finding her guilty of premeditated murder and seven finding her guilty of both premeditated and felony murder. 

You could see the shock in Jodi's face as a collective gasp was heard in the court. For the first time, it seemed we were seeing real emotion from Jodi. As the judge asked each juror one by one if this was, in fact, their true verdict, you could see Jodi look at each juror one by one with a pleading look on her face. But it was too late.  Jodi, who was so used to getting her way, had lost all control of her own destiny. Travis's family wept and clung to each other. Outside people cheered and celebrated the verdict feeling a sense of justice and a renewed faith in the justice system that had let them down during the Casey Anthony trial. 

Steams of media and members of the public awaiting verdict, chanting "Justice for Travis". 

You would think that being charged with capital murder and possibly facing the death penalty, Jodi would choose her strategy carefully. Instead, she went directly from the courtroom to a room within the courthouse where a reporter (Troy Hayden) for Fox 10 news in Phoenix awaited her for a post verdict interview that Jodi herself had previously arranged. Below is a link to the complete interview. 

http://youtu.be/28EpBe6XRpg

Travis's family did not have much time to take in the fact that their brother had finally gotten justice before Jodi again stole the spotlight. She continued to trash Travis. She even said that she would prefer the death penalty over a life sentence because, in her mind, death was the ultimate freedom and she wanted her freedom as soon as possible.  It was clearly evident that Jodi Arias was her own worst enemy.  People all over were outraged that this was even allowed to take place. This interview got Jodi a pass to the mental ward at the Buckeye jail and delayed the next phase of the trial, the aggravation phase, which was scheduled to begin the following day. Instead Jodi spent the weekend on suicide watch at a mental facility, due to her comments about prefering death and death being 'the ultimate freedom'. The next phase was postponed until Wednesday, May 15. On Monday, May 13, she was moved back to Estella jail. Her housing was significantly different now that she had been convicted. She spent 23 hours a day in a 7' by 11' cell. 

She was allowed one hour a day out of her cell to shower or make phone calls. This is where she remained until the next phase of her trial, the aggravation phase, began. The aggravation phase determines whether or not she should be eligible for the death penalty.  

As a result of Jodi's post verdict interview Jodi's legal team, outraged that she was working against them, tried once again to resign from the case. They claimed that they were unable to control Jodi, making their efforts to defend her fruitless. Their motion was denied but Judge Stevens did order a ban on anymore interviews for Jodi Arias. The public would not be hearing anymore from Jodi Arias, it seemed.
 In my next post I will outline the aggravation phase in the Jodi Arias trial. Please stay tuned and as always, thanks for reading. 

The State of Arizona VS Jodi Arias

On January 2, 2013, nearly 5 years after the brutal murder of Travis Alexander, the trial of the state of AZ vs Jodi Ann Arias began. 

Jodi has been an inmate at Estrella correctional facility since the summer of 2008. She was officially charged and arrested in CA on July 15, 2008 (Side note~this is the same day that Casey Anthony was arrested in Orlando, FL). 

This is a picture of Jodi's mugshot. You would think that being arrested on a first degree murder charge would break down even the strongest among society. Not our Jodi!!!!   Smiling brightly with a little tilt of the head, you would think she was were posing for a picture at her birthday party. 

Beautiful, charming, sexy and oh so manipulative is Jodi Arias. She was a woman used to having her way. Men quickly folded to her beauty and sex appeal. This was not a women used to rejection or defiance from others. You could tell by her relationship with her mother. Jodi believed she could fool anybody. In fact, she has claimed that her IQ was as high as Einsteins!!. (It's not). While she did score on the high end of the IQ spectrum (119) she is no Einstein. 

Shortly following her arrest she sat down with reporters. She told her story of the night of June 4, 2008 confidently and with very little emotion.  She smiled and joked with reporters as she applied makeup...her behavior was the definitiin of bazar. Then again, this is the same woman who asked Det, Flores if she could fix her makeup before being booked into the jail so she could achieve that high school cheerleader look in her mugshot.  After all, it was gonna be on the news. Hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?  

At one point Jodi decided that she wanted to defend herself. A shocked Judge Sherry K Stevens asked her if she realized the severity of the case but agreed to allow 'Einstein' to defend herself as long as a public defender was present during the course of the trial. This decision, however, was short lived. She quickly realized that she was in way over her head in 2011 when she tried to submit letters into evidence that she  claimed Travis Alexander had written to her apologizing for hitting her and admitting to being sexually attracted to children. The letters were quickly dismissed. Jodi had yet another ex boyfriend (Matt McCartney) forge the letters. She then had her mother try to sell them to the National Enquirer. It quickly became evident that her first attorney refused her request to submit the letters as evidence. Jodi had two attorneys resign from her case because she wanted things done her way. You know Einstein is much smarter then some public defender.  She was also caught trying to send messages encrypted in two magazines. Looking at the words written near the spine of Star and Photography magazines alone, they would mean nothing. But put together she was telling someone (I believe this was also Matt McCartney)  that what he had told her attorneys directly contradicts what she had been saying for the past two years and to get down there (to the jail) so that they could fix this.  Clearly, Eistien was not a lawyer or a very smart criminal. 

Her court appointed attorneys ended up being Jennifer Wilmott, a relitively young woman that was targeted during the course of the trial. She received hate mail and death threats. Jenny tried her hardest. I give her that. Her words came out strong and sincere (unfortunately she was just repeating her clients lies)  Unlike her sidekick, Kirk Nurmi, who spoke in monotone, practically putting people to sleep with his drawn out speaches that he apparently believed as much as the rest of the country. It became very apparent, especially during closing arguments that he wasn't too crazy about Einstien. As a matter of fact, he informed the jury that nine days out of ten days he didn't like Jodi Arias. And this is coming from a man that defends child molesters for a living!!!  

Between Jenny's lack of experience, Nurmi's lack of enthusiasm and Einstiens incedible arrogance and uncontrollable lying, it was a constant uphill battle for the defense team. Both attorneys have each started their own firms in the years leading up to the trial. . Kurt Nurmi tried to withdrawal from the case by filing several motions claiming that he was suffering financially due to the difference in pay he was receiving as Arias's public defender compared to working independently. The motions were denied but he did end up making significantly more then his co-counsel, Jenny.

 Prosecuter, Juan Martínez, became the breakout star of the year.  You either love him or you hate him. There's no in between with this man. He is a brilliant prosecutor that never once had to refer to his notes. Every detail of both Jodi's life and Travis's life was burned into his memory bank and he never missed a beat. One by one he destroyed the defense witnesses even accusing  the defenses forensic phycologist of "having feelings for the defendent". He proved on cross examnation that the defenses domestic violence expert was a man hater that brought along a group of elementary school friends and even her dad, to 'cheer her on'. Not very professional for an 'expert' with 30 years of experience, in my opinion. He also proved that she had lied to one of the juror questions (AZ is one of the two states in the US that allows the jurors to submit questions to witnesses).  When asked if she had ever testified on behalf of a man by a member of the jury, she stated that she had once or twice. In reality she had only  submittred a report on behalf of a man to a court but never testified for a man. Tisk tisk Alyce. 

Juan Martinez was the star of this show. When he spoke, you listened. His passion is contagious. He is like an actor or storyteller. He can take you places with his words. It is impossible to lie to him because his teqniqes make it impossible for a liar to answer the questions and make sense if they aren't being completely honest. He did cross the line at times and some people were put off by his aggressivness but the majority loved him. He was the voice of Travis. God forbid I needed a prosecutor to speak for one of my loved ones, this is definitely the man I would want on my team.  He even caused waves when, one day, instead of leaving the courthouse through the back doors, he left through the front where he was mobbed by fans wanting autographs. Martinez was shocked and I'm sure a little embarrassed. He wasn't a celebrity and wasn't trying to be one. The next day the defense made a huge deal about it and asked for a mistrial even calling an HLN reporter to the stand, shocking viewers everywhere.  Actually, I believe they asked for a mistrial at lease twice a week....

His closing arguments were so powerful that he brought millions of people to tears. His ability to think on his feet became painfully evident when, while describing the suffering that Travis had endured, which the defense claimed was a mear two minutes..... He said "let's see how long two minutes are and you decide if it was quick enough for him to not have suffered". He then managed to bring Travis into the courtroom (not for the first time) giving him two minutes of complete and utter silence that seemed to go on and on.  Sobs were the only sound as the seconds dragged on. It was painfully obvious that Travis suffered incrediblely in those two minutes. And if two minutes seemed to last that long for court watchers, my God, imagine how  poor Travis must have suffered in those two minutes, from the beginning of his attack until she slit his throat, killing him immediately. Again, the details of which came first, the gun shot wound to the head or the stab to the heart, are unclear. It would appear to make more sense that she shot him as he sat in the shower, overestimating the damage a .25 cal would do and underestimating Travis's will to live. 

Juan Martinez argued that she stabbed him in the chest while he sat....naked, wet and volnerable. He stumbled out of the shower to the sink while Arias repeatedly stuck the knife into his back and to the back of his head creating chips in his scalp from the force of the blows.  He painted a terrifying picture of Travis watching in the mirror as Arias attacked him. He tried to grab the knife. He tried to fight for his life...defensive wounds to his hands show that he did not go easily. He stumbled down the hall, leaving an arch in blood that appeared to be from Travis trying to balance himself against the wall as he bled out slowly and painfully. He lost the battle and fell at the end of the hall, where it was obvious that this was where his throat had been slit from ear to ear, cutting his jugular vein, his vocal cord and almost decapatating him. Bruises on his legs showed that she stomped and kicked him while he struggled to get away. After killing him in a jealous rage she dragged his body back into the shower where she washed his lifeless body, trying to erase any trace of herself away.  Juan Martinez said that "not only had she taken his life, she'd also taken his dignity". 

With a cup, she used the water from the shower to wash away as much blood as she could. It was obvious that she was not expecting the mess that comes when you stab someone repeatedly. This is another reason why I think that the gun shot came first. I've heard it said over and over on HLN...why would you bring a knife to a gun fight?  Why would a 120lb 5'5" woman attempt to stab her 180lb 5'11" lover?  He could have easily overpowered her. The only thing that makes sense, in my mind, is that she shot him and he didn't just die, as she expected. Maybe she tried to shoot again and the gun jammed?  .25 cal guns are notorious for jamming. Or maybe he took the gun from her, not knowing that she also had the knife. These are things that will forever be unknown.  The state argued that she brought the knife, as well as the stolen gun. Jodi, however, had another story about the knife. She said that during their sex games, Travis had used a rope to tie her to the bed. Except she kept mixing up her story. It depended what day it was but sometimes she said her hands were tied and other times it was her legs. Anyway, Travis had brought the knife to the room to cut the rope. Problem with that?  There was NO evidence of a rope ever being in that room. And he had a sleigh bed, making it very difficult to tie someone's hands or legs to the bed. The only thing that we know for sure is that Jodi Arias brutally murdered Travis Alexander. 

As you can see, the Jodi that appeared in court was a completely different picture of the Jodi that Travis had known. The defense tried to make her look more homely. They gave her a bad haircut and glasses (which, oddly enough, she took off anytime she had to read something). Personally i think she would have made more progress had she looked like herself. Everyone knows that beauty doesn't hurt. (Duh). Besides, why would her attornies make her look like a meek, quite battered women when they knew she wasnt going to hehave that way. Her story changed once again during her trial. She admitted that she had killed Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008. And she killed him...get this...in SELF DEFENSE. Suddenly the victim was on trial as well as Jodi herself. The defense painted a picture of Travis as a violent abuser who assaulted Jodi physically and sexually. They even accused him of being a pedophile. According to Jodi she had walked in on him masterbating to photos of a young boy. But when you lie, it becomes difficult to keep your stories straight. She told her expert witnesses that the pictures of the child porn were on his laptop (Alyce LaViolette, the DV witness testified to this). A search of his computer proved that not only was there no child porn on his computer, there was in fact NO porn of any kind on there. She later claimed that it wasn't on the computer, they were photos, actually. A search of his home showed nothing like that existed. 

Jodi claimed that she was Travis's 'dirty little secret'. That he used her. She claimed that he told  her that the law of chastity only applied to vaginal sex. But being that Jodi was also Mormon, you would expect that she would know what the law of chastity meant. During the recorded phone call between them he was very graphic, telling her that he wanted to 'tie her to a tree and put it in her ass all the way'. Jodi's response?  She giggled and said  'that is SO debasing...I like it". She (apparently) got herself off twice during this phone sex session (although she claimed that she had faked it because she needs BOTH hands to get her off..duh). After the moaning stops, Travis, obviously not knowing he was being recorded, is heard saying "you are so hot...you sound like a 12 year old girl having her first orgasm".  I would agree it wasn't the smartest thing to say (this was her 'proof' of pedophelia) but in the heat of the moment you sometimes say things that in retrospect don't sound so good. The funny thing is that Jodi herself told him in text messages that she wanted to be fucked like a naughty little school girl....she thought the pigtails were 'hot'. It was obvious that they both enjoyed the role playing. Travis Alexander may have been guilty of breaking the law of chastity but he was in NO way attracted to children. This was a HUGE blunder on the defenses part. She was accusing her murder victim of being the  most vile and disgusting thing a human being could be with NO supporting evidence but her words, which at this point were worthless. 

Perhaps the most damaging piece of evidence against her (besides all of her lies) was her journals. She kept detailed journals from the time she was a teenager. Not once in her journals did she ever utter one bad word against Travis. On the contrary, she filled pages and pages professing her love for him. How wonderful he was and how she would love him forever. She claimed that she didn't document his 'abuse' because  of the 'law of attraction'. For anyone not familiar with the law of attraction:  

The law of attraction is the name given to the belief that "like attracts like" and that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring about positive or negative results. Jodi spent a whopping 18 days in the witness stand!!!  Something that is unheard of. She told detailed stories of everything from the time she was a child. She seemed to remeber things like what she had for breakfast in 1997. However, she claimed to have no memory of stabbing Travis or slicing his throat and that she she suffered from PTSD. She claimed that he was angry that day. He first got upset when a CD would not work. Jodi, being the wonderful girlfriend that she was, knew that the only thing that would control his violent outbursts was sex. She said that he grabbed her by the arm, turned her around, bent her over a desk and proceeded to have 'rough vaginal sex' with her. This, she claimed, calmed him for the moment. Her story then continues with their photo shoot. She told Det Flores back in 2006 that she had 'convinced' him to let her take photos of him in the shower. On the witness stand she told the jury that Travis had been working out and had asked her to take photos of him. She said that the camera slipped out of her hands and Travis lost it. He yelled at her that she was a "stupid idiot" and that "a five year old could hold a camera better then her". He then came out of the shower and 'body slammed' her onto the tile floor, knocking the wind out of her. She somehow managed to roll away and run out of the bathroom and down the hall. At the end of the hall, the closet door was to the right and the stairs to exit the house were to the left. Rather then running out of the house (out of fear that he'd catch her, never minding the fact that he was completely nude and still wet from his shower) she decided to run into the closet where she remembered he kept a gun (there is no proof that Travis owned a gun or any signs of a gun like bullets, gun cleaners...etc at his home). She claimed that she climbed on one of the shelves and got the gun from on top of the shelf. It was proven during rebuttal that if she would have stepped onto one of the shelves, it would have tipped, due to the fact that they were 'floating shelves'.  She claimed that she never intended to actually shoot him...she thought it wasn't even loaded. She told the jury that she pointed the gun at him hoping that it would make him stop. This is so rediculous because if it was his gun, he would know whether the gun were loaded or not. Somehow, the gun went off as he 'lunged at her'. Juan Martinez, being the brilliant man that he is, asked her to step off the stand and demonstrate his 'linebacker lunge'. It was clear that Jodi was not expecting this. She stood on the courtroom floor pretending not to understand his question (in reality you could see her wheels turning. This was not something she had anticipated. After stalling for a little longer then she should have, this was what she demonstrated to the jury...

She told stories of how he had attacked her physically four times and called her terrible names..slut, whole, a three whole wonder, that's my fave :).  The problem with that was those pesky journals she had kept. On one occasion in which she claimed that Travis had 'broken her finger' kicking her in the ribs while she shielded herself. She held up her crooked finger in court for all to see. In her first journal entry after this 'incident' she begins with 'I haven't written because there has been 'nothing noteworthy to report'. Another alleged attack supposibly took place on the day she told Travis she was moving back to Yreka. They were in his car and according to her he punched her in the side of her head. That day she wrote about her talk with Travis, only according to her journal, they had talked and instead of a punch to the head, he gave her "three tender kisses" and told her that he wanted to remain friends with her. Now, I know about the law of attraction. It doesn't imply that you should lie to yourself. Juan tore her to pieces on the stand, asking her while she apparently sobbed if was crying when she shot him, stabbed him and slit his throat'. She went to to toe with him though. She smirked at him, refuses to agree on even the most minute details and was caught contradicting herself over and over. One example of her nonsense lying is that Juan asked her how it was that she remembered what she had to drink at Starbucks five years ago but remembers NOTHING about stabbing Travis. She said that she always got a strawberry frapachinno at Starbucks. In another part of her testimony, she said that she met someone at Starbucks and drank an iced latte. Come on Jodi...really?? She was far from what a typical battered women would be like. The jury submitted over two hundred questions for Jodi which dripped with sarcasm. Among those questions were "How is it that you remember so many details of your sex life but nothing about stabbing Travis 30 times?", "Have you ever seen a Dr about your memory problems?", "Did you enjoy having sex with Travis?" and my personal favorite "After all the lies you've told, why should we believe you now?".  Jodi was obviously stressed that day...you couldn't tell by her demeanor but her ginormous cold sore that popped up out of nowhere. When asked about why she would make the statement that no jury would convict her, she said it was because she planned to kill herself before the trial, so how could she be convicted if she were dead. It wasn't the first time or the last that Jodi claimed or threatened to kill herself. 

During her trial, with the world watching, she recruited her jailhouse girlfriend (Donavan Bering) who had been released, to be her voice on the Internet. Jodi had her very own twitter account. A first in the criminal community. She called her once lover girl every night and quoted what to tweet out to the world. She took shots at Nancy Grace and even at the prosecutor, Juan Martinez!!!

She spent her time in prison drawing and painting. She also sold these drawings, first on eBay (they eventually got taken off of the site after people became outraged by it) and then on her official site http://jodiariasisinnocent.com/ 

with people paying anywhere from hundreds to 

thousands of dollars for her 'original' 

art. It was later discovered that these paintings were copies of copywrited photo ads found in magazine. I mean really....how does she get away with this stuff?!?  

The murder trial was plastered all over news channels and newspapers. Logging onto the Internet was impossible without seeing or hearing something about Jodi. The jury was not sequestered. AZ does not sequester jurors. This has been discussed at great lengths by attorneys who believe that this could result in grounds for an appeal. Three of the jurors were dismissed for various reasons throughout the trial.  Jodi's mother sat in court day after day, never missing a moment. She was never alone, usually accompanied by her twin sister or Donovan and towards the end, Jodi's grandmother. Closing arguments began on May 2013, exactly four months after opening statements. After many delays by the defense, the trial came to a dramatic end on May 8, 2013. Jodi's fate was now in the hands of the jury. 

Part 3- The Verdict will be posted ASAP. 

Thanks for reading :)